Papua New Guinea will shut Manus Island detention centre, says O’Neill

Peter Dutton says government will not abandon offshore processing policy after PNG declared Manus detention centre to close.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Picture: Ray Strange.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has declared the government will not abandon its hard-lined offshore processing policy after Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill announced the Manus Island detention centre would be closed.

It comes a day after PNG’s highest court ruled the detention of asylum-seekers on Manus was unconstitutional and deprived the 850 men left on the island of their human rights.

Mr Dutton said he agreed with Mr O’Neill that PNG’s role in regional processing and resettlement had “stopped many people from losing their lives at sea” and said Australia would work with the island nation to address the issues raised by the Supreme Court.

“It is also the case that the government has not resiled from its position that people who have attempted to come illegally by boat to Australia and who are now in the Manus facility will not be settled in Australia,” Mr Dutton said in a statement.

“We will continue discussions with the PNG government to resolve these matters.”

‘Australia must make alternative arrangements’

Earlier, Mr O’Neill said the closure would have a “negative effect” on the island’s local economy but his government would work with Australia to “minimise damage to businesses and workers”.

However, he said he welcomed the court’s decision.

“Respecting this ruling, Papua New Guinea will immediately ask the Australian government to make alternative arrangements for the asylum-seekers currently held at the regional processing centre,” he said in a statement.

“As I stated recently at the Australian (National) Press Club, we did not anticipate the asylum-seekers to be kept as long as they have at the Manus centre. For those that have been deemed to be legitimate refugees, we invite them to live in Papua New Guinea only if they want to be part of our society and make a contribution to our community.”

Mr Dutton thanked Mr O’Neill for PNG’s “continued support” for Australia’s offshore processing policy.

REACTION

Government frontbencher Scott Ryan said no detainees from Manus Island would be allowed to resettle in Australia.

“We will take whatever measures necessary to make sure that the commitment we made is delivered,” Senator Ryan told ABC radio.

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said it was vital the system of offshore processing be maintained.

Labor negotiated a 12-month contract with PNG when it was in government in the expectation that most detainees would be resettled within that time.

“PNG never imagined people would be on Manus for so long — we didn’t either,” Mr Marles told Sky News. “They have botched this from day one.”

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the government had no choice now but to bring the men to Australia. “The clear message to Peter Dutton is people from Manus Island are not going to be staying in PNG, so there will be no other third country to take these people who are Australia’s responsibility,” he told AAP.

Australian National University professor of international law Don Rothwell said the PNG government would need to be mindful of the political difficulty for Australia, settling the issue so close to a federal election.

The Turnbull government could be in caretaker mode by the end of next week and that would place limitations on the decisions it can make.

“This has now thrown the onus back onto Australia,” he told Sky News.

Prof Rothwell said there was no legal reason why the asylum seekers couldn’t be brought back to Christmas Island.

Nauru was also an option, but it was full, he said.

More to come ...

With agencies